We don’t know whether it will be an easy task for Jignesh Mevani to meet PM Narendra Modi over the Bhima-Koregaon violence, but his Delhi press conference was certainly a tough one to handle. Not because of the questions asked but because of the behaviour of the TV news crew present there.

It won’t be an exaggeration to say that the Vadgam MLA and Dalit activist was manhandled on Friday noon, when he spoke about the FIR that was filed against him and JNU student leader Umar Khalid for alleged “provocative” speeches during an event in Pune on December 31.

Saying that not a word of his speech was inflammatory, Mevani alleged that he was being targeted by the BJP and RSS.

The drama started after he had concluded his presser at the Press Club of India (PCI) and agreed for a one-to-one interaction with reporters.

Camera persons pounced on him like a group of bullies rounding up a schoolboy. Those who failed to get proper shots of him climbed the bench used for the presser.

While two TV news crews were the stars of the “show” or the ruckus, Team Mevani too has to take some blame.

In a bit to rescue Mevani from the cameras, his associates tried to move him from the PCI lobby to the rooms inside. But the situation worsened.

The camera crew continued to surround him as he walked towards the PCI rooms and the reporters almost forced their microphones inside his mouth. All this while the Times Now crew kept repeating the same question – whether it was Mevani’s speech that triggered the Bhima-Koregaon violence in Maharashtra. 

Mevani was shifted inside a cramped room, and at least 10 to 15 camera persons camped inside with him, leaving hardly any space for movement. Within seconds, there was chaos again, as those inside unsuccessfully tried to take the MLA’s statement, while the reporters outside kept cracking jokes on the situation.

For the next 30 minutes all that happened was shouting, with reporters and camera persons trying to sneak inside the room. Wondering what to do, the reporters decided to prepare a list and interview Mevani accordingly.

However, when Team Jignesh refused to allow the Times Now crew to speak to the Vadgam legislator, heated arguments began.

Former JNUSU president and now Mevani’s aide Mohit K Pandey had an angry exchange with the Times Now reporters on at least two occasions. “We will not speak to those running BJP agenda,” alleged Pandey.

In the meantime, a police officer entered the room and several others waited outside to control “any unpleasant incident”.

But all this was before Arnab Goswami’s Republic TV started its favourite campaign – our reporter/crew was “manhandled”.

By the time six to seven reporters had interviewed Mevani, Republic TV’s Aditya Raj Kaul was spotted doing a piece-to-camera right outside Mevani’s room. Notably, Kaul was neither the reporter who was denied an interview nor had he tried to speak to the Dalit activist so far.

Interestingly, his choice of words in the piece-to-camera made it appear as if Mevani was a seasoned criminal trying to evade arrest.

Soon after Newslaundry spoke to Mevani, he requested the reporters to let him take a break. The moment he stepped out in the lobby, two reporters of Republic TV including Kaul almost pounced on him with their mics.

Though Team Mevani tried to stop them, Republic TV’s fearless and unstoppable crew ensured that he “runs away”. For the next few minutes, there was again utter confusion – about whether had Mevani run away or taken a break. Even the police personnel accompanying him appeared clueless.

Unfortunately, due to Republic TV’s brave journalism, several others waiting for their turn to talk to Mevani were left disappointed. Meanwhile, Goswami’s team had recorded enough ammunition to spearhead their campaign against the MLA.

The channel had already started broadcasting its favourite ticker – ‘Republic crew manhandled’. For hours, a clip of Mevani physically brushing aside Kaul’s mic was aired.

These visuals gradually became the staple for Republic TV’s broadcast on Friday. It ran stories with hashtags such as #TukdeTukdeConspiracy and #CongSponsorsJignesh.

There is a lesson in all this for Mevani’s team as well. They need to understand that if he doesn’t want to speak to a certain news organisation, he should at least say it himself. In the case of TV media – deny it on camera.

While the drama at the PCI definitely provided juicy visuals for TV news’ prime-time, the question is: was the ruckus unavoidable?

Meanwhile, here’s Mevani’s conversation with Newslaundry’s Amit Bhardwaj over the Bhima Koregaon incident and the FIR lodged against the Dalit leader and Umar Khalid:

AB: Jignesh, you claimed you were not even in Bhima Koregaon on the day of violence. Then where were you? Where did you give that speech which is at the centre of the entire controversy?

JM: That speech was not made in Bhima Koregaon in the first place. It was very much in Pune. It’s available on YouTube. I have done a Facebook Live too. Not a single word of that speech is provocative.

AB: But a case has been registered against you on the basis of this speech?

JM: Because they want to tarnish my image and target me. It is a forced and frivolous case. And they are not going to achieve anything out of it.

AB: There have been allegations against you that you didn’t condemn the violence allegedly by Dalit groups?

JM: I have put up a Facebook post appealing to the masses, to Dalits and non-Dalits. Let the peace prevail.  

AB: In the past, you have argued that Dalits can use force to defend themselves. Do you also support the protests/violence in Maharashtra following the clashes in Bhima-Koregaon?

JM: Today we are talking specifically about Bhima-Koregaon. I have never supported such action.

AB: You are a legislator from Gujarat. What were you doing in Maharashtra?

JM: Post Una (the flogging incident) I have been to 16-17 states. I have participated in various people’s movements; I go to rallies, dharnas, demonstrations and agitations across the country. Even Baba Ambedkar used to go. That’s why I went to Pune; the speech is available on public (social media) platforms.

AB: What do you mean when you say that the Prime Minister needs to choose between the Manusmriti and the Constitution?

JM: The way he (PM Modi) is operating in the last four years, it clearly appears that what he has been practising is Manuvaadi practice. He is silent on issues such as arrest of Bhim Army’s Chandrashekhar Ravan, on Saharanpur (inter-caste riots) issue, on Bhima Koregaon. Why is he not taking a clear stand – that Dalits must be protected?

AB: But he has made several public statements.

JM: These kind of statements are mere rhetoric. Why is justice not being ensured to the victims of Saharanpur and Una? He is claiming that he is an Ambedkar bhakt (disciple) but he has failed to ensure social justice. Instead, his police are targeting me.

AB: You are planning to organise a rally in Delhi on January 9, however, you are yet to get police permission. Are you in love with controversies?

JM: If an elected representative is not allowed to carry out a peaceful rally to talk about the constitutional goal of ensuring social justice – will it not be disastrous?